Who gets the ring when couples split?

Breaking up is hard to do. Equally difficult: determining how property is divided — and who gets to keep the engagement ring.

Where engaged couples are not living together, the law across Canada is remarkably similar. In Ontario, for example, “If an engaged couple separates, there is no special legislation dealing with the split. The separation of assets is governed by traditional rules regarding ownership of property,” noted Andrew Cox, a family and divorce lawyer with Galbraith Family Law Professional Corporation in Barrie, Ont.